Random Encounter
by Dante Morose
Summary: The problem with being either Harry or Percy is neither can cook, and when it comes to their respective girlfriend's birthdays and only one cake left in the store…nothing but trouble! AU. Based on HarryxGinny and PercyxAnnabeth pairings.


Harry sauntered into the deli, one protective hand on the wand in his pocket. He couldn't remember the last time he went shopping in a muggle store. Normally Ginny went out for the groceries, but this time he was after something special.

Slowing his feet, Harry scanned the open cooling compartment before him. Of course it was his luck that there was only one choice. The price was a bit high and he fingered his wallet longingly. If only he could pay in silver sickles instead of pounds. He smiled wryly. Well, at least he couldn't possibly mess up the buying of _one _item he could make with his wand…well, _should _be able to make with his wand.

Hermione's words lingered in his memory.

_"What is _that_?" Hermione pointed at the burning black item smoldering on the floor._

_ Ron looked up at her in surprise, while Harry just stared at his failed attempt. He stammered out a response, but Ron talked over him in stunned astonishment. "It's a cake."_

_ "Well," Harry countered, "It's _supposed _to be a cake."_

_ Hermione shook her head in horrified dismay. "If you wanted something you could have just asked." She held her own wand up pointedly._

_ "It's, um," Harry blushed faintly. "It's Ginny's birthday today. I kind of wanted it to be special, you know."_

_ "Oh," Hermione nodded. Ron shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Hermione went on, "Why don't you go buy one then? It would save us the Weasley's house burning down." She looked around Ron's room as if searching for scorch marks._

_ "Ginny's at the market already," Ron pointed out. "She'd see him."_

_ "Go to the muggle store then," she supplied._

_ Harry gazed down at the charcoal on the table. "Yeah, maybe I–" the cake mess popped, sending a black lump flying for the ceiling "–should."_

So Harry was in the store looking at the single cake left on the shelf. Inside the plastic protective box was a square yellow cake. White cream frosting spread over the surface while a lacy blue icing followed the edges in delicate swirls. It was perfect.

* * *

Percy was normally not a nervous wreck, but as he walked into the grocery store he was practically shaking with anxiety. He was in big trouble, and he knew it.

His vacation with Annabeth _was_ going wonderfully. They had taken a trip across the ocean to land in England for a time, and Annabeth was bursting with excitement at finally having a chance to take a break and search the cities of the world for undermined architecture. Percy couldn't have cared less about big buildings with "perfectly crafted columns" or "complimentary terraces complete with sculpted fountains", but since Annabeth's happiness mattered to him, he'd learn to deal.

All had gone well. They had been in England only a matter of days and Annabeth had been so happy…that is, until this morning. Percy thought it was something he had said the day before when they were skirting a lake in the twilight air. Somehow Hermes had managed to show up around that time, which Percy couldn't help but be upset at him for ruining the perfect moment for a kiss with Annabeth, and after that encounter, things had just gone downhill.

_Percy slipped an arm around Annabeth's shoulders as the night folded around them in layers of cool air. For a moment her shoulders seized up, but then she began to relax. As they walked away from Hermes "the fisherman" she sighed softly._

_ "What?" Percy asked._

_ She sighed again, obviously reluctant to admit it. "I don't know…" she frowned._

_ Percy pulled her closer. "About what?"_

_ "I just…I want tomorrow to be wonderful."_

_ A crease-line appeared between Percy's eyebrows. "Aren't you having a good time?"_

_ "Yes, but…tomorrow's special."_

_ Dread rose in Percy's stomach. He knew he shouldn't ask, but there was no way of knowing otherwise. "Why?" He immediately felt stupid for asking as Annabeth pulled away slightly._

_ "Nothing…I just want it to be a good day."_

It wasn't until three in the morning that Percy had remembered. It was Annabeth's birthday. All through the morning hours he plotted on how to slip away to get her something nice. A cake. That was it. He would run to the store and grab her a cake while she was out doing some shopping, then they could have a picnic outside the Exeter Cathedral. It was one of the bigger buildings they hadn't yet been to in Devon. Yes, it was perfect…

Until he got to the deli section.

About to pick up the last cake was a lean boy-not-yet-man with scraggly black hair and virescent eyes. If he didn't know better, Percy would have thought this was some long lost twin of his. But this was no time to be looking for other demi-gods. If he didn't get that cake…Annabeth would kill him. Or worse, break up with him!

Yeah, so maybe he was overreacting, but he _needed _that cake.

"Excuse me," he tried. The boy didn't seem to hear him and continued reaching in. His fingers were almost grasping the plastic corners. Impatiently, and beginning to panic a bit, Percy raised his voice, "EXCUSE ME."

The boy turned around. "Yes?" he asked, looking confused and just a bit frazzled himself.

Percy cleared his throat. In hindsight Annabeth would probably rather he didn't harass strangers, but Annabeth wasn't here. He opened his mouth and forced politeness into his strained voice. "I don't mean to be rude, but I kind of _need _that cake."

The boy stared at him for a moment. "Well, I don't mean to be rude either, but I need it too."

Not bothering to reply, Percy skirted around the boy and glanced at the cake. Annabeth would love it. He knew it, and it was just the perfect size for two. He reached into the unit and grasped the corner of the container. The refrigeration air hit his arms and sent his skin into goosebumps.

"I was here first," the boy said, taking hold of the other side and tugging it away.

"No," Percy grasped his side firmer and pulled away. "You don't understand. I _need _this."

"And so do I," he retorted, getting a bit annoyed.

Percy took hold of the cake with both hands, which was mirrored by the other boy. He tried pleading again, "_You don't understand," _he struggled to stay composed. "It's my girlfriend's birthday today. We're on vacation. I have no oven, no skill, and _no time_. I have to have this."

The boy stared again at him, but this time in surprise. He was shaken out of it when Percy nearly wrenched the cake completely from his grasp. "It may be hard to believe, mate, but I'm in the same situation. I'm on vacation, and while I _may _have access to an oven, I have no skill, and it's my girlfriend's birthday today too."

"Tough luck," Percy pulled it away, but the boy slammed a hand down on the lid. Percy flinched as the top of the plastic dipped down to smudge the frosting. The look in the boy's eyes said he was telling the truth, and if Percy wasn't in dire need of the cake he would have felt sympathy for him.

"It's mine," the boy stated authoritatively. "I was here first."

This sounded reminiscent to Percy's grade school experience with bullies. He couldn't help the subconscious twinge of anger. "So?" he retorted.

The boy straightened up though it didn't make him much taller than Percy. It seemed both were cursed with under-average shortness. "I don't suppose it would make much sense to a muggle like you, but I defeated the greatest evil wizard of my time. I'm not afraid to take on you."

What bothered Percy wasn't the term "wizard", but the name "muggle". He didn't know what that meant – Annabeth probably would – but what he assumed to be a British insult riffled him. He didn't like bullies, and he had been given _far _too many names in his lifetime.

He mirrored the boy's actions by puffing his chest out slightly and straightening up. Now they were even in height again. "I don't expect a pure human to understand too much about this, but _I _defeated Kronos, the Titan lord of time. I'm not afraid to take on you."

The annoyance switched to anger in the other boy's eyes. "My name is Harry Potter and people have foretold my coming for centuries." Unconsciously Harry crossed his arms to look tougher, taking his hands off the cake box.

"Perseus Jackson," he clenched his teeth and folded his arms just as sternly. "Same here." It didn't sound as cool out loud.

"Excuse me," a third voice penetrated the thick air of animosity between them. Without taking their eyes off of each other, the two stepped aside without thinking. It seemed as though their respective girlfriends had driven a form of politeness into each of their heads at least a little bit; but the spell was broken when they both realized the cake was gone.

Eyes wide, both boys scanned the area wildly as though the cake had vanished and appeared somewhere else. Two pairs of green eyes zoned in on the stranger's back, the cake in his hands.

"That's MINE!"Harry roared. He took off at a full sprint, and Percy followed at his heels. The man didn't seem to notice the ruckus behind him and kept walking.

Harry pulled out his wand and bellowed, "Accio cake!"

The said cake went flying out of the hands of the stranger and toward Harry at high speed velocity. He caught it, and spared a brief moment to check it for damage. The cake was smushed against one side and the frosting was looking worse for the wear, but it would still taste good. Harry raced for the register.

"Oh, no you don't," Percy cursed under his breath. As Harry streaked through the newly mopped area, Percy used his powers to tip the mop bucket onto the floor. The gritty water spilled in Harry's path. As he landed hard on his tailbone, Percy streaked by like he was ice skating on the water. He scooped up the fallen cake, noting that a layer of frosting was stuck to the top of the inside of the lid. It wasn't anything that Annabeth wouldn't forgive. He kept on running.

But security was onto them for disturbing the other shoppers and making such a mess of the cleaned floor. Percy was about to reach the check out when a spell from Harry's wand sent him flying to the front doors. Seconds later Harry jumped him with a flying tackle.

The two wrestled evenly, the cake smashed between their rolling bodies. Suddenly a sensor went off loudly, alerting them to the fact that the squashed cake hadn't been paid for. It wasn't until uniforms were pulling them apart that the two stopped fighting over the wanted item. Before they were led away into store holding where their guardians would be called to pick them up and take them away, Harry and Percy got a good look at their reason for resentment.

The quaint yellow cake with coats of white cream frosting and little blue icing loops was now out of the box and streaked on the floor with dabs of cake and clumps of frosting falling off the t-shirts of both boys after the struggle.

* * *

Ginny got the call from a muggle store in town, and before Mrs. Weasley could chance to ask her on it, Ginny was out the door with the keys to their new second-hand car.

She knew if she was being called to pick up Harry it was going to be bad. What she didn't expect was to see two black haired boys with green eyes sitting on a bench, cake crumbs at their feet and their arms smeared with frosting, happily swapping stories about their experiences.

She saw the cheer drain out of Harry's face when he saw her, and soon the relaxation in the other boy's face slid away as a blond haired girl came to stand beside Ginny in front of the two trouble-makers.

Ginny turned to the other girl. "He yours?"

Without surprise the girl nodded. "Yup." She countered. "That one yours?"

"Uh-huh," Ginny nodded.

Rolling their eyes they both simultaneously groaned, "Boys!"

* * *

Yeah, if you're really into analyzing stories you could say I was having Percy mirror Harry for a while as a shout out to how the books seem similar in some ways but Harry's came first. While you can say that, I didn't realize what I had done until after it was written so it was not intentional. Hope you enjoyed!

-Dante


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